I'm Here Now
by wen1993
Summary: AU Lazarus Rising. When Dean finds Sam, he is not in a very good shape. Limp!Sam Protective!Dean Caring!Bobby I do not own Supernatural.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic! Hope you enjoy it!

S04E01 Lazarus Rising AU

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois." Dean stated.

"Right near where you were planted." said Bobby.

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" the suspicion in Dean's voice was evident.

 **Pontiac, Illinois**

"This is it." said Bobby, looking at the motel room door.

Dean nodded. He was feeling thousands of emotions at that moment. While he was exhilarated to see his little brother again after all that time in hell, he was also dreading the thought that Sam could have gotten himself in trouble while trying to get him out.

Bobby knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect. He loved Sam like one of his own, and was feeling extremely guilty for letting him go off by himself. After John died, he made himself a promise to always watch out for the boys. Sam and Dean were the closest people he had for family.

When they got no response, Dean knocked again, wondering if Sam was not in.

"You think he has gone out?" Dean asked Bobby.

"The manager said Sam didn't leave his room today." answered Bobby, frowning with confusion.

"You got your lock pick?" asked Dean again.

Bobby handed over his lock pick to Dean, impatient to find out what was going on.

Although he spent months in hell, Dean still hadn't lost his hunting skills. He efficiently picked the lock, and after a few seconds, the locked clicked open.

They entered the room with precision, not knowing what would come at them. The room was dark, and they could only see the silhouettes of the things in the room.

"Sam?" called Bobby. Dean kept quiet, not wanting Sam to attack them out of the blue. Still they didn't receive any kind of response. That's when they heard it. A very soft whimper that they wouldn't have heard if not for their extreme concentration and alertness. Dean switched on the light, and found no Sam.

They quickly moved to the bathroom, and switched on the light.

The sight that greeted them was something neither of them would forget for the rest of their lives. Sam was lying on the bathroom floor, shaking like a leaf, only clad in a pair of boxers. His eyes were barely open, and Dean felt his eyes water, seeing how helpless and sick his brother looked. How long has he been like this?

Going into serious big brother mode, Dean knelt near Sam, and held his brother's face in his hands. He could feel the intense heat radiating off his brother.

"Sammy? Can you hear me?" Dean tried to get some kind of response from his brother. He softly slapped his face, desperate to get Sam to respond. However, the only response he got was another moan. Sam was completely out of it. Dean felt his eyes well up. Sam was his responsibility since they were kids and he always took care of him. But now, here Sam was, completely helpless and sick with nobody to care of him.

"Let's get him to bed" said Bobby, breaking Dean out of his musings.

"Yeah" Both Dean and Bobby lifted Sam's deadweight and laid him on the bed, and Dean covered him with a blanket. By now Sam was mumbling incoherently, increasing Dean's worry.

Dean laid his palm on Sam's fevered forehead. "See if you can find a first aid kit or something" he said to Bobby. "Everything will be fine, Sammy" he turned to Sam and said softly, stroking his hair. "I'm here now. I got you"

"There's nothing much here. I could only find some rubbing alcohol." said Bobby, returning from his quest to find a first aid kit. "Looks like he hasn't taken an ounce of care of himself while you were away." He added.

Dean nodded, the pit in his stomach deepening. _What have you done to yourself, Sammy?_ Dean thought.

"I'll go out and grab some things. You good?" asked Bobby. Dean nodded.

After Bobby left, Dean grabbed a hand towel and a bowl and filled it with water. He brought it back and started wiping Sam with it.

"Nuh... mmmmm" moaned Sam.

"It's ok Sammy. Just calm down, kiddo." soothed Dean. "Just need to get your fever down"

Sam seemed to calm by Dean's voice. He fell into a restless sleep while Dean tried to cool him down.

Bobby returned a while later, bearing bags full of medical equipment, and Dean didn't even ask him where he got those from.

He took out a thermometer and handed it over to Dean. Dean gently placed it in Sam's mouth and pushed his jaw closed. After what seemed like an hour, the thermometer beeped. Dean took it out of Sam's mouth.

"103.9" announced Dean. "This is not good. We need to get his fever down. What have you got?" he asked Bobby.

"I brought Tylenol. Give him three, and we'll try something else if it doesn't work."

Dean gently hoisted Sam to a sitting position and sat behind him. Bobby handed him the pills. Dean very gently forced Sam's mouth open. "Hey Sammy, I need you to swallow some pills for me, ok? Just swallow when I asked you to." He placed a pill in Sam's mouth, and fed him a little water. Then he rubbed Sam's throat, inducing the swallowing reflex. He wondered how the technique he used on Sam as a small kid was still working. Dean repeated the process until Sam had swallowed all three pills.

Dean gently laid Sam on the bed and covered him up with the blanket. He then re-wetted the towel and laid it on Sam's forehead.

"You hungry?" asked Bobby, carding his fingers through Sam's hair.

"No" Dean was too overtaken with worry, that he didn't want anything but to get Sam feeling better.

"Ok then. Let's wait and see how Sam does." Bobby sat at the table and started reading a newspaper for possible hunts.

TBC

What will Dean and Bobby do when Sam takes a turn for the worse? Please rate and review!


	2. Chapter 2

"It's been an hour, Bobby. The fever's at 104 now." Dean said, keeping the thermometer on the night stand.

"The kid is too weak. We need to keep him hydrated. I'll start an IV. I brought some saline." With extreme care, Bobby inserted an IV and started Sam in the fluids. He hung the saline bottle on the bed pole.

By now, Sam was getting a bit delirious. He had started to mumble incoherently and he was getting more and more restless.

"D-Dean" whimpered Sam as he opened his eyes to slits. "Dean no! Come back!" he slurred, a tear trailing down his temple.

Dean soon sat on Sam's bed and hauled him into a sitting position, bringing his head to his shoulder. "Shhh calm down, Sammy. You will be alright." Dean started to stroke Sam's head.

However, Sam remembered Dean was gone. No matter how sick he was, the fact that Dean was gone, was very strongly embedded in his mind. Dean was gone and in hell, and he couldn't do anything. He was all alone, and now Dean was talking to him.

He started to struggle in Dean's arms. "What are you?" he was full on crying now. He was too weak to fight the demon, and his head was really hurting right now. "Get away from me!" he whimpered, trying to escape.

Dean wasn't surprised by Sam's reaction to his voice. "It's ok, Sammy. Calm down now. It's really me. I'm the real deal." He whispered in Sam's ear.

"No!" Sam's struggles were getting weaker by the second, and soon he was just sobbing in Dean's arms.

Dean's eyes watered by seeing his brother's plight. He kept on stroking his head and whispering reassurances into Sam's ear. "I'm here Sammy."

"P-please be real" Sam continued to cry, his breath hitching. "Please d-do-don't leave" he sobbed. He weakly gripped Dean's shirt.

Dean kept rocking back and forth, and eventually, Sam cried himself to sleep, safe in Dean's arms. However his breath was still hitching, and his hand that gripped Dean's shirt just gave out and fell onto the bed.

Bobby watched with tear-filled eyes at the scene that unfolded before him. It had been a while since he saw the boys being so affectionate towards each other. Normally, their pride and machismo made them hide their true feelings for each other, and it took a situation like this to bring out the real brotherly love they had for each other.

After making sure Sam was definitely asleep, Dean gently lowered Sam on to the pillow, and stood from the bed. He stuck the thermometer again, to gauge Sam's temperature. After a minute, he took it out and sighed a breath of relief at seeing the numbers. "It has gone down to 102.7. Still too high for my liking." He placed the damp towel on his brother's face again.

After about an hour, Sam's fever was down to 101. Dean had kept cooling him down, and Sam was in the path to recovery. Bobby removed the IV when it was empty.

Dean soon sat on Sam's bedside when Sam began to stir. He didn't know how Sam would react to him, and it made him nervous.

"Wake up, Sammy. Open your eyes kiddo." Encouraged Dean.

Hearing Dean's voice, Sam's eyes snapped open. He was instantly on high alert, although he was still sick.

"What are you?" Sam threw a fist at Dean's face. "You're not Dean." He was sure he did the salt lines.

"It's me, Sammy. I'm back. It's Dean. Bobby's here too." Dean tried to convince Sam.

"Get the hell away from me!" Sam tried to leap from the bed.

"Sam, you need to calm down. This really is Dean" Bobby tried his luck as well.

"OK! OK! Let me show you!" said Dean and took the holy water. He threw some at himself and Bobby. Nothing happened. Sam kept looking at them suspiciously. Dean then took a silver knife and cut into his arm. Bobby followed Dean. After they threw the salt at themselves, Dean could see Sam getting extremely confused.

"What?" Sam's eyes were glistening with tears. "This can't be happening."

"This is real, kiddo. I'm back. Something or somebody brought me back." Said Dean, sitting on the bed. However, he wasn't expecting the sudden 200 plus weight that was thrown at him. Sam launched himself at dean, and wrapped his arms around Dean's neck.

"I missed you so much, Dean. I missed you so freaking bad!" sobbed Sam. He was getting more and more tired, now that the adrenaline was leaving his system.

"I know Sammy, and I did too! I'm so glad to see you." He kept carding his fingers through Sam's hair.

"How did you get out?" slurred Sam, getting more and more sleepy.

"Let's talk later Sam. You just get some rest." Said Dean, feeling his brother grow heavier while falling asleep. Soon, Sam was asleep in Dean's arms for the second time that day, and Dean didn't complain at all. He was back with his little brother, and he didn't care about anything else. He actually cherished that moment, because that was the first time in ages when he felt so loved. Although he was sure he was in some deep trouble, he was just content at the moment. He was back together with the person he cared about the most, and that made him forget everything else that was going on in the world. Right now, he had a sick brother to take care of, and he wouldn't trade his place with anything. Sam didn't have to fight alone anymore. "I'm here now." He whispered to Sam

That's it! My first fanfiction! What did you guys think? Please rate and review! Thanks.


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